A New Life
by KawaiiHimemiya
Summary: A girl who lives and breathes harry potter and fanfiction gets to become a character in the book. life is good as she becomes a spoiled dursley...too bad she tried to help harry realizing too late she could be changing the story... WARNING: Mary Sue!


Disclaimer: I do not own anything.

Lauren Sanders sat at a computer desk in her college library. She was spending her time reading fanfiction, crackling in laughter, and drawing negative attention toward herself like always. This was her life.

She spent numerous hours reading anything having to do with Harry Potter. This included reading the series over and over, having movie marathons every weekend, reading and writing fanfiction, researching and going through differing encyclopedic websites pertaining to the books, and most of all day dreaming about HARRY POTTER!

Her life was sad and pretty depressing otherwise. She was considerably overweight with short choppy hair and horrible grades academic wise. It wasn't like she wanted to be unappealing or going no where with her life.

It just seemed like yesterday she was active, smart, and fit but over the years she simply went fanatical in front of the computer or on her bed reading about the magical world of Harry Potter.

Sometimes she wondered what it would be like if she could get a second chance at life in the fantastical book. She supposed millions of others also felt like this but for some reason she couldn't help but think she would be the one who wouldn't waste it.

She felt that if she were given the chance, she wouldn't be like all those mary sues who tried to save the world, she would just be happy being a bystander. She didn't dreamed of entering the book series as some lost heir of the founders with unimaginable beauty, she just wanted to see the world whether as a poor muggleborn or even a squib or muggle.

Of course she wrote fanfiction of the typical mary sue with long waves of platinum hair and large turquoise eyes, deep set in a perfectly sharp and pale face. Her character's eyes would shine with speckles of violet, gold and silver which went wonderfully with her high cheekbones and small pointed nose. And she would be an heiress to many long lost lines.

Currently Lauren was working on that particular story where the character's name was Cassandra Emrys nee Dursley. Basic Plotline happened to be about a girl whose background contained many old magical lines, had just about impossible intelligence, numerous magical abilities, and let's not forget that all the attractive males would slowly fall in love with her. It was simply a rough draft, a newer storyline she was thinking of. Not that she would publish it, even she knew that the girl was just too fantastical for even the Harry Potter world. Sighing, she was just about to save the story when the bottle of soda next to the keyboard fell. The next thing she knew, the computer was sparking…and unfortunately for her, she hadn't jumped back far enough for when the electronic circuits blew up right in front of her.

Lauren raised her hands in front of her face in a flash, skimming the computer screen where her story was roughly written. She felt a static like shock and pulling sensation. Closing her eyes on a whim, she waited for a minute before opening her eyes. She was surprised though to see a large gigantic woman in front of her…one that looked all too familiar…Petunia Dursley.

Petunia's POV

She was surprised when her husband had come home with a small newborn girl but happy all the same. It was then that Vernon had explained to her that his old friends had perished and that they had left behind their baby to him.

It was also with surprise when he mentioned that the family was magical in origin. But Vernon had quickly assured her that they had been the only non-freaky wizards. That they chose to live their life without magic and that their baby would most assuredly take after them, unlike Harry who had recently come into their care.

And even though there was a small bout of anger that this child was blessed with magic, unlike her who grew jealous of her sister, she couldn't help but stare at the beautiful child. She had always wanted a daughter but after giving birth to Dudley, the doctors had explained the linings of her canal were too thin to allow her to carry another child and live, thus her tubes were tied. But now here was a baby girl, too young to remember her parents.

Yes, she would take this newborn in and become a mother. She grew excited about having a little girl who Dudley would protect, Vernon would spoil and be overprotective with, and she…she would take the girl to the mall and help her with her makeup while giving her tips about future boyfriends. Smiling, she rocked the little baby girl in her arms.

She needed to make plans. Dudley was already 3 years old, a toddler but still sharing the space with a 2 year old Harry in the largest bedroom. But her Baby girl needed a large room to put her toys and clothes, and maybe a tea set area in to play with her dolls. Smiling, she decided Dudley would move into the guest bedroom where Marge usually slept when she visited. And then she would proceed remodeling the largest bedroom to be the perfect little girl's dream room. She'd have to stick Harry in the cupboard; he was bordering on being a toddler and could walk and talk already. And she would set up the spare room they used for storage to be Marge's guest room. While it was definitely one of the smallest rooms and would probably only fit a bed and closet, there was no other room which could be used now that her little girl was here.

Smiling, she called Vernon and demanded he let her hire an interior decorator. Vernon of course reassured her that she could hire an interior decorator and a contractor.

She was ecstatic and quickly called making arrangements. Hmm…perhaps she would have the shed in the back knocked down to make a smaller shed and a comfortable sized guest house in the back of her yard. Marge could stay there and she would connect the smaller room to the larger room making a walk in closet for her baby girl. She needed a perfect room for her adorable daughter.

Cassandra Dursley would want for nothing.

Vernon's POV

Vernon sighed as he came back home from a long work day. Entering through the front door he was pleasantly surprised at the scene in front of him. Petunia was kneeling down on the ground holding a Black Teddy Bear, wriggling it about at a crawling baby girl.

He had brought the girl home after a lawyer had contacted him about his old friends. He had been worried that Petunia would treat his friend's baby like Harry but he should've known that wouldn't be the case. Petunia did always want a daughter and he had grieved with her when he found out Dudley would be their only child.

Smiling, he walked toward them and kneeled down next to Petunia, giving her a chaste kiss on the lips.

"How's everything my dearest.", he asked.

Petunia smiled, replying that everything was excellent.

"Cassandra's room is done, and Dudley is tucked away in his newly decorated room as well. Our baby girl though is full of energy. She's been crawling around all day.", she paused before beaming towards him, "She's perfectly well mannered as well, didn't make a fuss at all even when I fed her. I can already tell she's going to take after me and become a perfect lady. And her first birthday is nearly here isn't it? I believe you mentioned it was September 13th. Why that's nearly next week, Vernon! We absolutely must throw a huge celebration for her. She's our princess, isn't she? I demand we start planning now!"

He winced at the thought of his credit card bills but nodded in agreement.

"Yes, dearest, she's our little princess and you are my queen. Anything you want, dear."

Cassandra's POV (Lauren will be now written as Cassandra)

She giggled at the toy she had finally reached as her parents were discussing her birthday. Oh, she had complete awareness of everything going on and as she thought about it, she grew excited at what was going on. She theorized she was either in a coma and dreaming about living out the small story she had written or she was really and literally sucked right into her story.

She stopped giggling when she started to think though. She hadn't really written much of a story. Merely wrote descriptions about the girl and her powers and bloodline. Now that she thought of it, she hadn't actually written any events, simply starting out that the girl would be taken in by the Dursleys after the tragic death of her wizard parents. She hadn't even written how they died, she was going to later explain it in the story…a full background but merely started on how she completely ensnared the parental love of the Dursleys and that in the future many would fall in love with her.

Gulping, she was all too aware of the downfalls of the Harry Potter world or specifically the war that would take place in the future.

She thought back to her dreams of falling into Harry Potter as a simple bystander. Even if she received powerful abilities, she wasn't the perfect character Cassandra…she was a Lauren and had the mindset of a simple girl. She didn't really think she could make too much a difference in the war.

Even if she gained the things that she wrote about her character, she was bound to make mistakes and what if those mistakes cost the light side their eventual win. She could make things worse.

Perhaps, she should just stay out of the wizarding world. But it would be hard with Harry as her family. Then again, she figured that she would be fine as long as she didn't actually attend Hogwarts with Harry.

She gurgled in laughter as she thought, 'But that doesn't mean I can't make things better for Harry. It might take a while though as I'm pretty much a baby right now but in a couple years I'll slowly try to make the Dursleys nicer toward Harry.'

Time passed as months went by.

Cassandra's Birthday was huge with many new gifts that consisted of an expensive doll house with many porcelain dolls, an assortment of plush toys, gourmet baby food, plenty of new baby dresses, and small shoes/bootsies for Cassandra.

She was amazed at her room. She had a rather large and extravagant crib with veiled see through curtains and silk blankets. There were cherry oak bookshelves against the walls with plenty of picture books on one of them and fairytale books which her parents read too her every night. There was a playpen in one corner filled with her plush toys and another area where her dolls were lined in an expensive glass casing. And in the corner was an actual ivory tea table where her delicate china set for tea when she wanted to have tea parties as she grew older.

She loved her room, it was a bit too much but she knew that the ivory tea table would be perfect for when she grew older as it looked more like an adult setting than a child's. Her bookshelves would be perfect to fill with lengthy novels and was again perfect for when she was older. The play pen would go but she figured she could put a small study area there later. And the glass casing that the dolls were in was fine as the porcelain dolls inside were all well cared antiquities. Vernon had actually gotten her antique dolls on his latest business run. It wouldn't be so weird for her to still have them when she was older. But the stuffed toys would have to go as she didn't really care for toys but dolls she liked surprisingly, as she considered them not only valuable but a nice decoration for her room.

She noticed that toddler Dudley absolutely adored her as a baby sister. He liked to watch and play with her all the time. And Petunia seemed to dote on her more than her own blood child not that it was so bad, hopefully Dudley wouldn't turn into a spoiled bully this time around. And Vernon seemed to be the same. He would constantly coo at his little princess and was stricter on Dudley when he had a temper than what she thought he would treat him in the actual harry potter series. Vernon and Petunia actually was raising Dudley like any other normal parents, teaching him to be a respectful boy. They would constantly send him to bed if he so much as made a fuss at eating his veggies. The only thing she wondered about was Harry. Petunia would let him out of his cupboard to feed him and such but no matter how many times she tried in the past couple of months, she couldn't get near him.

Her mum would quickly carry her away if she went within a couple feet of him.

She was disappointed but quickly decided that when she could walk, she'd be able to sneak near him. She could see Toddler Harry watch her sometimes out of sadness. She knew he probably was lonely and probably also neglected without any toys where she had a playpen full of them.

She was wrenched out of her thoughts when Petunia lifter her up out of her crib and taken to the nearby changing table.

Cassandra became embarrassed as she quickly became aware of her wet diaper. This was one thing which sucked about being a baby with an adult's mind. Being changed was mortifying even if she could rationalize it was a necessity as she couldn't very well walk to the bathroom as she was a baby. She was nearly one though and was already practicing walking in secret. She felt she almost had it if not for the imbalance she felt on her short stubby legs. Perhaps in a couple months when she would be bigger, after all babies tend to develop incredibly fast. She figured though she should start gurgling words though.

She was almost one and a half years old and had a head full of platinum blond curls. As her hair was pretty long for baby, the longest strand reaching her cheeks, she thought it was about time she started speaking her first words. In about 7 months, she would be a two year running toddler.

Waiting for her Mum, Petunia, to finish snapping her Diaper in place as well as cloth her in a comfy Pink outfit, she reached out toward her and said, "Ma…ma."

Petunia's POV

She started to tear when her baby girl called her mama. Laughing happily, she quickly gathered Cassandra in her arms and hurried downstairs where Vernon was sitting drinking coffee and Dudley was eating cereal.

"Vernon, Vernon…she said her first word! She called me Mama.", turning her baby girl in her arms, she neared Vernon as she spoke, "Come on Princess. Say it again. Can you say Mama…Ma-Ma, Ma-Ma…"

And then Vernon and Dudley watched with wide eyes as Cassandra giggled before saying "Mama."

Vernon laughed, "That's our little princess. She obviously know's her Mum."

Cassandra gurgled out, "Muhhh…Muuuu…Muuhh-meeh. Mummy!"

She smiled and bounced Cassandra in her arm's, "That's right. I'm your mummy. Mum's here. Now can you say Da-Da…Da-Da!"

Cassandra's face scrunched but struggled out the words, "DahhDahh".

Dudley perked up, "Mummy, can she say Dudley! I want her to say my name as her third word, Mum."

Chuckling, the family spent the next couple of hours having her repeat everything they said.

And Time passed on until it was nearing Cassandra's 2nd birthday.

Petunia was beside herself trying to get everything ready for her baby girl who was growing quickly. She was smaller than other two years old and as she grew she didn't seem to like sweets like Dudley but kept to her veggies and bland food like oatmeal. This would be fine if she ate a lot like other children tended to do as they needed lots of food to grow as much as they do in their young ages but she was worried as her baby girl didn't seem to have much of an appetite.

Then again, she sighed, Petunia herself abhorred sweets which happened to very much be the reason she was stick thin and it seemed Cassandra was taking after her. She was glad though as Vernon and Dudley tried to please the princess in their family by allowing Petunia to make more meals with Veggies which in turn made them eat healthier. This was especially good for Vernon because as much as she loved her husband, he was a little too round around the waist to be healthy and now he was eating more nutritiously and Dudley who as a baby started to eat more than regular amounts of food was now eating better so her fears that her baby boy would follow his father's footsteps in the eating department were assuaged.

And the pediatrician had assured her that her daughter was healthy. So she decided that everything was fine except now that Cassandra's birthday was coming up and could actually eat food, she was thinking about the different food that she should get. Normally on Dudley's birthday, she would get an assortment of sweets, cookies, and a large cake but Cassandra didn't exactly like those options. She tended to stay away from deserts unless it was fruit. She figured she could simply cook a nice healthy meal and make a fruit parfait for desert. Perhaps, instead of cake, she could get chocolate covered strawberries as well.

And now for the presents. Dudley would usually get 2 or 3 gifts from them but her baby girl was special. Cassandra seemed to be a perfect child, they had no need to be strict with her as she seemed to wake up everyday with perfect manners, always cleaning after herself and never making a mess, listening to everything she said or asked, and going to bed at night without a fuss even when she could tell that Cassandra wasn't tired sometimes and full of energy.

Her baby girl needed to be rewarded. Perhaps she could buy a new wardrobe for her and some more antique dolls. She could also tell that her baby girl was getting too big for a crib. She would go out and get a nice king sized bed in a princess style with crème see through curtains and a nice chocolate silk bedding, perhaps embroidered around the edges in a turquoise blue the same shade as Cassandra's eyes. Chocolate brown because her daughter had once said her favorite color was brown, not pink like most girls, because that was the color of her 'beautiful Mum's eyes' and the shade of blue-green color not only because they were Cassandra's eye color but also because she felt a brown bedding was too plain for her baby. The crème curtains would add a nice decorum to the room.

The Play pen would have to go to make room for the bed but she would have to donate the plush toys as well. Her baby girl seemed much more interested in books and just a couple weeks ago stopped playing with her toys although she would keep the glass casing full of porcelain dolls tidy. Cassandra had a knack of once a week cleaning the case herself and making sure the dolls inside were lined perfectly in their individual standers which held the dolls up. And she also decided to get night stands matching the bed as well as a chest to lay at the foot of the bed.

Perhaps she would also put a small study desk in there with a matching chair, it would fit against the wall in between the bookshelves where the window was. Yes, that would be perfect and she would also take her little girl shopping to the bookstore for more books and anything she wanted on the day of her birthday.

Cassandra's POV

She was tempted to sigh at her plate full of scrambled whites, wheat toast, and slices of apple but didn't. She knew how it was to be fat in her past life and she was going to do everything she could to actually be fit in this life. Besides, while it was boring to be eating so healthy it wasn't as disgusting eating as healthy as she thought it would be.

She knew that when she had been Lauren she had detested eating healthy but her new body grew an acquired taste to healthy foods and when she had tried a piece of candy her brother Dudley had given her she had felt shocked at the immense sweetness. Her taste buds weren't used to sweets and she had immediately felt like sticking to healthier sweet foods like fruit.

She also made sure she only ate three meals a day. She didn't want to eat too much and become dreadfully overweight. She was frightened that she would be overweight like she had been as Lauren. And as Lauren, she knew how difficult it was to lose weight once you were overweight so she decided this time around she would watch what foods she ate.

She had also decided that as Lauren, she also knew other important things that would dictate how she lived her life now. People generally didn't try so hard at school unless they were forced to. But she knew how important it was to do well in school as grades would determine even in elementary which secondary school she would go to. And which secondary school she would go to dictated how well her education would be which would dictate what university she would go to. Seeing as she had decided she wouldn't be joining the wizarding world and staying in the muggle world at least until the war was well over with, she definitely needed to start forming correct study habits if she wanted to be successful later.

Eating her food, she made sure to chew every bite meticulously as it took longer for her to finish her plate and the longer she ate her food, the more satisfied or full she felt which meant she ate less. She finished her orange juice and turned toward her Mum.

"Mum, May I be excused?", she asked.

Her mum nodded, "Go ahead to the living room princess and watch the telly. Aunt Marge will be here soon."

Nodding, she made her way toward the living room and sat on the couch turning on the telly. She wasn't really interested in watching anything but left the show on an educational children's show where a man was reading words that all rhymed and showing the letters and spelling. She often watched them so that her intelligence that she might show later wouldn't shock her parents. She would rather put on the news but she knew many of the controversies that were reported might cover adult situations like a killing which might startle her Mum if she saw her watching something like that so she got ready for an afternoon of watching this channel.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the cupboard door open slightly and a head peek out. This was her first opportunity in maybe talking to Harry. Her Mum was finally busy in the kitchen, Dudley was still asleep and Daddy was at work. Marge she knew wouldn't be here till a half an hour later at the earliest.

Smiling shyly, she waved and saw his eyes brighten a little. He was three years old and a couple inches bigger than her. He had a full mop of messy black hair, stunning green eyes, and the infamous lightning bolt scar. He seemed to be considering coming out of the cupboard but seemed troubled so she decided to get off the couch and walk toward him.

"Hello.", she said.

Harry blushed and murmured a quick greeting as well.

Giggling, she smiled. "What are you doing in there? How come you always stay in the cupboard? Don't you want to play with me? Dudley does all the time."

Harry shrugged, his eye's turning sad. Noticing this, she asked him if he wanted to come watch the telly with her. Harry seemed nervous but she didn't wait for him to answer and grabbed his hand in hers, dragging him toward the couch to sit next to her.

Moments later, she heard her Mum screech as she walked into the room.

"You little freak, I didn't tell you to come out of the cupboard yet! You get back in there now, Boy!"

Cassandra bit her lip before deciding to pout to her Mum.

"But Mummy, I never get to play with him.", she whined.

"Princess, you don't want to play with him. He's a bad boy!", Mum said.

Pouting she spoke, "Mum! He seems pleasant enough and I want him to be my doll to play tea parties with. Dudley doesn't like play tea parties anymore because he says he's a big boy now. Please, Mummy?"

Normal POV

Petunia sighed but nodded. She couldn't deprive her baby girl anything. Perhaps Cassandra would teach Harry to be just as well mannered as her. She might have been worried that he would be a bad influence but she knew her baby was too smart to be swayed into being a freak like that boy. So she'd let him be her daughter's servant. He'd have to do everything and anything her baby wanted. And if she wanted him to sit down and be his doll, he would.

Cassandra squealed in happiness before hugging her Mum around her legs. "Thanks Mum. I love you. May I please go have a tea party now?"

Petunia smiled. She never got tired when her baby girl told her she loved her. Dudley only really said it once in a while but Cassandra always told her and Vernon she loved them every night before bed.

Petunia turned to her nephew and glared at him, "You are going to do everything my little girl tells you. You are to listen to her, understand! And don't even think of corrupting her, BOY!"

Harry nodded, his eyes casted down.

Cassandra's POV

Cassandra dragged Harry upstairs and into her room and told him to sit at the ivory table. She quickly left and went back downstairs to get some juice and tiny triangular sandwiches. She put the china set away for now and instead put the tray of juice and food on the table.

She saw Harry lick his lips in hunger and told him that he should eat. While he was eating, she waited patiently. She would try to feed him by making her Mum think he was just playing tea party with her. Maybe she could pretend to force him to sleep in the bed with her once she got one. She didn't want him to stay in a cupboard for most of his life. She'd also get Dudley to be friendly as he tended to try to make her happy as she was his little baby sister. And as her doll, she would say she wanted to dress him in better clothes. She figured also that her Mum and Dad might force Harry with an abundance of chores but she would try to help out. Perhaps, she would tell her Mum she wanted to learn how to cook so she would prepare the meals instead of Harry. She would also try to tell Mum she wanted to garden as woman tended to do that and she could simply say she wanted to do that chore. That would leave Harry with cleaning the rest of the house.

She figured she would always keep her room clean and she knew Mum liked to tell Dudley to clean his own room now that he was older, it probably also had to do with the fact he wasn't spoiled. So Harry would only have to realistically clean the kitchen and living room.

"PRINCESS, AUNT MARGE IS HERE. WAKE YOUR BROTHER UP AND COME DOWN TO GREET HER. SHE HAS A SURPRISE FOR YOU BOTH!", she heard her mum yell from downstairs.

Seeing Harry wasn't done eating, she told him to stay in the room, he needn't go back to his cupboard knowing that that was where he usually stayed when visitors came. Running out the door, she crossed the hall to a much smaller room with a bed, closet, shelves, and desk were. It was medium sized and a regular child's room with action figures in a bin off to the side and a double bed where Dudley was busy snoring under Spiderman sheets. Giggling, she hurried over to him and shook him awake.

"Dudley, Wake up! Aunt Marge is here and she has a surprise!", she yelled. Her brother groaned but did get up. He rubbed his eyes but followed her down stairs.

Cassandra smiled at her Aunt and quickly hugged her. "Hello Aunt Marge. How are you?"

Her Aunt smiled, her chin budged back into a double as her large weight seemed to jiggle. "Hey, little angel, I got you and Dudley something."

Cassandra giggled, "Thank you Aunt Marge."

Marge's POV

Marge smiled and quickly lifted a bag off the side. Inside was a Nintendo for both Dudley and her. Dudley's was Dark Blue but hers was white and her Aunt had gone to a phone store as they decorated electronics with rhinestones that were typically put on phones for teenagers but she had made them cover Cassandra's Nintendo in pink crystals. She also bought an assortment of games. Some were educational and others were action packed. She watched as Cassandra quickly split the games with Dudley giving him all the action ones and taking the educational ones though the little girl did take a Japanese rpg game as her one action game. Dudley was happy and so was Cassandra.

Marge watched and noted all this. She was quick to notice every time she visited that Cassandra was somewhat of a bookworm. And she was happy she had decided to get some of the educational games which included how to speak different languages and also an assortment of different subjects like Mathematics and History. She loved Dudley but knew she preferred Cassandra as she wasn't as rowdy as her brother. She was also intelligent and well spoken for her age and not to mention she was a beautiful child.

Somewhat small for her age but she had medium length platinum blond curls and large turquoise eyes with impossibly long eyelashes. She was incredibly cute and Aunt Marge approved of her. Cassandra was also the reason she came as it would be the girl's birthday soon. She was planning to give her a complete encyclopedia set and a computer; both of which were the most expensive ones on the market. Nothing but the best for her niece!

~3 Years Later~

Cassandra was happy.

Over the years, she had lessened the abuse which Harry had suffered in the books. He hadn't been hit except for once that Daddy had hit him but she had quickly cried saying she didn't want him to be a bad man. He had then taken to treating Harry better. Petunia also tended to be nicer. Sure, they hadn't really treated him like a son but he was moved from the cupboard to the attic which was cleaned and had a double bed, closet and desk. The closet had his own fitted clothes and he was given all her plush toys. He was sort of friends with Dudley although they didn't play together often but atleast Dudley wasn't playing Harry Hunting with him or ordering the kids at school not to be his friends although Harry still tended to be a loner.

Dudley still made friends with Pierce but they tended to simply play at the park instead of picking on little kids. Also, Dudley wasn't overweight although he was rather tall and looked older than his 7 years of age. He looked more like a 10 year old. He was also far from spoiled as Daddy wanted him to be a man and often grounded him if he even stepped a toe out of line. He had the same amount of chores as Harry and often stuck to cleaning the living area where as Harry set the table and did the dishes in the kitchen.

Cassandra herself had stuck to her plan, gardening often with Petunia and helping to cook the meals. She made sure to serve Harry just as much as the others and so Harry was also a respectable height for his age. Thus she didn't need to have tea parties with him to sneak him food although Harry tended to go to her room to do his Homework or take her to the park to play. He seemed to quickly deduce that she was the reason his life was better. No more dark cupboards or small rations.

Cassandra had also filled her shelves with textbooks on many subjects, psychology, sociology, history, mathematics of all levels, different sciences, languages, and other academics. She also collected Shakespeare, Hemmingway, and other famous English writers. She had a small section of poetry and plays. And on her two night stands, she had a small collection of fantasy novels like the hobbit and circle of magic series which she indulged in once in a while. But usually, she would go through her textbooks, arduously studying for a couple hours a day, creating study notes on her computer which she created multiple files for her studies.

That was something she found surprising to. No matter how hard a subject was, she could understand anything as long as she studied the foundation of the material. For example, she had worked her way through her science and math books and found herself understanding the concept of the theory of relativity, never mind that she was sure this level of study was beyond her intelligence in her past life but she seemed to do fine in almost any course she pursued. She could also read at an alarming rate and remembered anything she had ever read word by word.

Her Mum had finally admitted her baby girl was beyond simply smart and quickly made an appointment with the local school to talk about options. That was today and she was excited about the prospect of attending a school. She admitted it would be nice to be in Harry or Dudley's class but she also liked the thought of advancing to at least a secondary school so she wouldn't be bored in elementary.

The tests she was given were different subject, each test starting off with rudimentary questions before getting progressively harder.

After she was done, she and her mum were told to come in next week for the results.

Cassandra allowed her Mum to take her away and in the cab back home, she was surprised to see a Dance studio. She bit her lip as they passed it. That was another thing. She knew she was rotten spoiled. Her parents would buy her nearly ten times more than they would Dudley and definitely more than Harry. Not that her brother or Harry minded as the things she received were usually books or clothes. And they were regular kids who didn't care much for that but she knew Daddy and Mum spent a lot of money on her which is why she tried not to ask for anything unless it was for Harry but she kind of wanted to learn how to dance.

It was something she noticed. Her difference in personality from her life as Lauren versus her life as Cassandra was striking. Lauren was an overweight and ugly girl who didn't bother with her studies and stuck to being rather lazy. Cassandra on the other hand was a very thin, small, and beautiful girl who spent much of her time studying and being active. She had really started studying because she wanted to have an excuse for acting so adult like as she figured acting like a child may be trying at times when she thought like an adult. But the more she studied, the more she felt invigorating and knowing about anything and everything. And the more she went to the park with Harry or Dudley, the more she realized she liked being active. She liked being healthy and eating right. She loved gardening and cooking. And she liked not only studying about the arts but often listened to Debussy or Bach as well as visiting the local Museums and seeing the replicas paintings of Van Gogh or Leonardo DaVinci. And she also loved to sit down with Mum and watch Ballet.

She sighed. She wouldn't ask her parents as they spent much too much money on her already.

When the cab reached their home, Cassandra went straight up to her room to read. She figured after all those tests she could forego studying and reread the lord of the rings series.

Petunia's POV

She watched her little girl go up the stairs without a doubt to go read in her room. While her little girl didn't like to dress up or have tea parties, Petunia was rather proud of her daughter. She went to go fix something for her and saw Harry in the kitchen already with different slices of fruit and vegetables on a plate and felt her eyes soften.

She wouldn't admit it but she started to see Harry as a nephew rather than just a boy. Her scorn toward him started to lessen over the years. She chuckled when she saw him juggling two cups of juice and the plate.

His face shot up and she forced a strict expression toward him not to drop them and hurry along to her daughter's room.

He nodded and went his way.

She decided to prepare Dinner without Cassandra as she wanted her to rest after her long day of exams. She decided to make meatloaf, some boiled green beans and mash potatoes.

She frowned a little bit when she thought of Cassandra and her small eating habits. She was smaller than the average 5 year old. She was already a foot and half shorter than Dudley and probably half a foot shorter than Harry. She knew Dudley was rather tall but Harry was of an average height for his age and should only be an inch or two taller than Cassandra but he was a whole 5 or 6 inches taller.

Cassandra was only 2 feet 9 inches. Most five year olds were 3 feet inches if not taller. She simply didn't eat enough and Petunia noticed Cassandra sometimes ate a little bit before excusing herself to go back to her books. And she didn't eat nearly enough to be as active as she was when she would spend a couple hours running around the park with Harry and Dudley.

She would need to do something about this. She had seen Cassandra eye that Dance studio and wondered if she could offer her to take lessons as long as she agreed to eat more.

Deciding to make Cassandra's favorite desert, she took out the ingredients to make a berry pie topped with whipped cream and some confectioner's sugar. It was one of the few recipes which allowed her to add some sweets which Cassandra ate. That girl seemed to hate sugar more than she did.

~Dudley's POV~

Dudley had trouble doing his multiples of 9. He sighed before deciding to go over to his little sister's room. He didn't like to enter that room because not only did he think the room was too girly but his sister had a knack of drawing him into one of her pretend tea parties. Sure, he adored and loved his little sister but seriously, he was a big boy who liked playing video games not dolls.

Sure enough when he entered Cassandra's Room, he saw his little sister and cousin sitting at the ivory table with juice and a tray full of veggies and fruits. That was another thing he abhorred. His sister took after their mother in eating habits. You could always see her snacking on veggies and fruits. There were no cupcakes or cookies or candies at her tea parties. He might have put up with playing that ridiculous game if she actually ate treats when she hosted them.

"Hey Cassandra, Harry.", he greeted them, "Uh…sis, you think you can help me with my homework. I'm suppose to remember the multiple of 9's." he stated.

Cassandra giggled and nodded.

"Sure. It's relatively easy if you know the trick! But you have to do something for me if I tell you the trick.", she stated.

He gulped thinking of scenarios where his little sister took him shopping and dressed him up like one of her dolls. He knew Harry for some reason let her do that and if there was one thing he hated it was shopping for clothes. Then he thought of her making him sit down at every single tea party she hosted over the next year. And then he imagined her playing teacher and tutoring him for the next month like she sometimes did with Harry. In fact, now that he thought of it, Harry seemed to give in to his little sister's demands a lot.

He kind of felt sorry for Harry.

Poor Harry.

"Uh…I don't know…can't you just help me, sis? I'll give you my allowance for a week, or do your gardening chores?", he tried to persuade her.

His sister just giggled again.

"Well, how about we have a sleepover in my room. It'll be fun, we can do all sorts of things!", he heard his sister reply.

It was then he realized that a sleepover would be the worst, she would make him do all the things he imagined earlier, make him try on clothes…maybe her girly clothes though he doubted he would fit in them and she could even make him play with her freaky porcelain dolls which no matter how you looked at them from different angles of the room, they're eyes seemed to follow you.

"EEP…Uhh, I forgot, Mum said she'll help me actually. Have fun at your sleepover with Harry, sis.", he squeaked before rushing out of the room.

When he made it downstairs, he asked his mum for help and explained to his mum what occurred when he came down shuddering.

His mum had laughed, "Think we should save Harry from her sleepover madness?", she asked him. Dudley shuddered again, "No, Mum, lest we get roped in it too!"

~Harry's POV~

Harry smiled at Cassandra after Dudley left. His only friend was Cassandra. He could still remember his cupboard and how lonely he had been but then she had saved him. She even slowly showed the Dursleys he wasn't a freak and they even gave him his own room in the Attic. He had a bed and new clothes which Cassandra picked out. She made sure to feed him and play games with him. He knew it was because of her his life was better.

And he couldn't help but love spending time with her. She didn't really play with her dolls or make him try a dozen different outfits when they would go shopping, not like Dudley thought but he didn't correct him because he enjoyed monopolizing Cassandra's time.

They finished the snacks and he pulled out his homework which she checked, corrected and patiently explained to him. She then gestured to the newest addition to the room, placed off to the left of the room toward the back corner. A small chocolate leather corner sofa which he laid out on and happily played with her Nintendo while Cassandra grabbed one of the fictional books stacked on her nightstand; they simply sprawled on the couch enjoying each other's company until they could hear Petunia yell Supper.

Heading down to the kitchen, he smiled seeing Cassie as he liked to call her, hug Uncle Vernon seeing that he just got back from work. Cassie was lifted up by Uncle Vernon who twirled her around a bit as she squealed in laughter before setting her down.

He sat next to Cassie and ate his meal. After he was done he waited for Aunt Petunia to bring out the desert. He was startled when Cassie jumped up and down her chair next to him, clapping her hands as her eyes lit up in excitement, and as he saw the desert Aunt Petunia was bringing out, he knew why. It was berry pie, one of, if not, Cassie's favorite desert.

When they were done, he watched as Cassie kissed Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon on the cheek, wishing them goodnight, saying her I Love You's, and informing them of her sleepover. Uncle Vernon, Dudley and Petunia all turned toward him sending him a wave of sympathy. He nodded, telling them goodnight before being dragged up the stairs.

He could barely make out Vernon calling him a brave soul and a survivor.

He chuckled and when they both got back to the room, he waited for Cassie to tell him what they were going to do.

"Harry. Want to watch a movie on my laptop?", Cassie asked him.

He thought about it and nodded, "But can I pick the movie?", he asked.

"Sure.", she replied.

Within moments they were snuggled into the bed, the lights were off and the laptop was seated on their laps. Halfway through the movie, he felt Cassie snuggle into him and looked down to see her sleeping. Smiling, he shut the laptop off and slid it on the nightstand on his side before falling asleep next to her.

He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "Luv You, Cass.", he whispered into her hair. As he fell asleep, he heard her murmur sleepily, "Luv yah too, Harry."

Cassandra's POV

The week passed quickly until it was time to go back to the local school. She was excited to go find out the test results. She was pretty sure she had done well enough to circumvent elementary school all together.

The Counselor Ms. Vatalli ushered them into her office. Cassandra noticed that there was another man there as well. When they all took seats in the office, Ms Vatalli spoke.

"Mrs. Dursley, you have an incredibly gifted daughter. Her test subjects were designed into subjects, most importantly into specialties. Your daughter aced the linguistics, Sciences, mathematics, Literature, and History Exams showing an exemplary and comprehensive knowledge well into University Level. Quite frankly, we are at a loss in what to do with your daughter. Gifted children rarely have a knack for more than one specialty. The exams your daughter has taken were not expected to be completed. Simply put, for a child her age, we were expecting she would reach her limits in more than one subject, perhaps only reaching up to a secondary level. Factoring in her age and the fact your daughter has not been educated at an institution, we only really gave her the general subjects which are taken within elementary school. I've decided to call in a specialist. This is Mr. Hughs."

Her mum she could see was practically bursting with pride and simply nodded.

Mr. Hughs cleared his throat before speaking. "I'm the counselor for the Cardinal Institution for Higher Learning. It is a secondary school in which students with specialties attend furthering their education in their specialty while also taking core classes which are very much the 5 subjects you were tested in. Usually a student has one or two specialties that they pursue or cultivate within the school while also learning the remaining core classes any child takes. For example, a student with a specialty in music would pursue multiple advanced classes which detail every aspect of Music but also attend core classes in literature, english composition, history, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, biology, chemistry, physics, art, and physical exercise. Their core classes though only contain the material as if they were general studies taken at any secondary school as they are not gifted in that field. They attend this school for a minimum of 3 years in which their core classes are completed to the satisfactory secondary education level while their specialized classes are completed to well beyond even university standards. It is then that they graduate with multiple degrees within their specialty well up to their Doctorates depending on the depth in which they undergo specialty classes as well as they're Grades. If the person completes all levels of specialty classes with their professor to a depth that they mastered their classes, they will receive Doctorates. Should they barely skim their classes, they may simply receive an Associate."

Mr. Hughs coughed, staring at her with a pointed look which belied whatever he was about to say as a completely serious matter, "You, However, Miss. Dursley seem to be gifted in all aspects of Academia. Thus it was agreed starting at the age now, you may attend this coming fall with an extended invitation to the school for a period of 4 rotations or 12 years to complete every available specialty given at the institution. Should you accept, you will attempt to compete multiple specialties during certain given rotations. The Sciences, Mathematics, Linguistics, English/Written Language, History, Mental Sciences, and Artistic Movement are the various specialties given. The Sciences and Mathematics will hold one rotation each. History, Mental Sciences, and English/Written Language will hold another rotation. And lastly, Linguistics and Artistic Movements will hold another. As each school year is held for 8 months, it is possible to attend the school during what is known as the additional session held during the summer. The 8 months itself are comprised with two separate sessions and as the required classes per session are only 5 classes but there is available a maximum of 10 classes, it is also possible to complete a rotation in a single year although it is not recommended as even children fail to uphold the maximum while doing the best they can in each class. However, it is up to you how you decide to handle your classes but be forewarned, should you fail more than I believe it is 2 classes in a rotation, you will be expelled from the Institution. It is a very demanding school."

Cassandra thought it over before nodding. "What can you tell me about the institution? What are the tuition rates? Am I to board there? How many students are there in ratio to the Professors?", she asked.

"The institution is the top school within Europe. It is located in Northern Italy and it is completely free as the school is offering a scholarship toward you for your first session, should you keep a grade point average of 3.8, the scholarship holds. It is a very select school and there are exactly 127 students. Because there are so little students, core classes only have a maximum of 5 students to the one professor. And as each student rarely specialize in one or two specialties, specialty classes such as Ideology, Renaissance Arts, Ballet, Statistics, Marine Biology, Anatomy, etc. are all taken for a period of an hour with one on one instruction given anywhere between one to three times a week. Because the Institution is located on Private land, and students some from all over Europe, the Institution is considered boarding based or live in. This is even the case for students who live in the area within Italy."

Cassandra turned to Mrs. Dursley who seemed to deflate the more Mr. Hughs spoke.

"Mum! Please let me go! I don't think I'll ever receive another chance like this at all. Please Mum, I'll do my best.", she said.

Petunia looked at her daughter and sighed, "Very well but I expect you to come back during the summer…the addition third session! You are to only go for the regular school term. And I also expect you to call me at least once a week. And if you have any trouble at the school, I want you to tell me so we can withdraw you from the school and come back home. Is that perfectly clear, Cassandra Dursley!"

She winced but nodded knowing her Mum and Daddy loved her more than the boys. She was their little girl but she really wanted to attend this school for some reason.

Mr. Hughs coughed, "Well, I have the forms right here to induct her into the Institution. There is only one more matter that must be taken care of. The term starts October 7th and she should decide which rotation she would like to start and which classes she will attend the first session."

She pondered on what specialties she would like to start first and decided to get Mathematics out of the way first.

"I would like to take Mathematics and please allow me to take the maximum amount of classes.", she said.

Mr Hughs sighed, "Are you sure about the number of classes?", he asked. When she didn't budge he simply continued, "Very well. You are exempt from the core classes except for Physical Education. Because you will be continuing specialties in all the subjects for the next couple of years, you do not have to take them as it will simply become unnecessary. However you will need to attend a certain number of electives to replace your core classes. Usually these are classes which do not pertain to the specialties offered such as different Martial Arts, Etiquette classes, etc. Here is a list of the mathematics specialty classes, different Physical Education classes, and the electives."

She quickly looked through the lists before nodding, "I see that there are required specialty classes. I will take the required ones…algebra & geometry, trigonometry, pre-calculus, & calculus. In the section for optional specialty classes, I will attend, Mathematicians in History, Theorems & Formulas, and The Evolution of Calculations. I'm interested in taking Introductory to Dance as my Physical Education class. As for my Electives, Speech and Comparative Religion are fine."

"Are you sure, many of those classes are arduous.", he commented on her choices.

She stared at him for a couple seconds, "Yes, those are the classes I will take. How do I get a supply list?"

"There is a Book store located at the institution that will supply you with anything you need. You will likely receive a syllabus the first day of each class detailing any supplies you will need to get from the Book store: notebooks, calculator, writing utensils, folders, etc. Your textbooks however will be given from the bookstore when you show them your School Identification and are covered through your tuition costs. Before you ask, the school has supplied you a plane ticket to Italy for the 4th of October. As it is the 22nd of September, you have one week in a half to get ready to move into the Institution. You will receive your own suite upon arrival and are responsible for the condition of said suite. It is entirely yours for the duration of your stay at the school including the time you vacation back to your parents. The room will be yours until you complete your 4 rotations. Because of your age however, your counselor, me, will check up on your living conditions once every month at any given time. I could check on you October 31st and come back the next day on November 1st, then again I may choose to check up on you November 1st and not come back till December 31st. It will be random so I suggest you take good care of your suite. End of the 1st session is February 3rd of Next Year. You are given the single holiday period from December 21st to January 2nd. The 2nd session begins February 5th and ends June 9th; you are given a single spring vacation from April 17th to the end of the month. The 3rd session in case you may want to know begins June 13th and ends September 27th."

Cassandra nodded her head full of possibilities. She no longer thought of her advancement in magic, not that she was intending to go to Hogwarts should she receive a letter, she had rather been thinking of buying a wand and couple books after the war when she was of age, but the fact that she could very well live a successful life as just a muggle. Not like in her past world how she was barely passing in college as an adult. But actually receiving an insane amount of degrees by the time she was…

She quickly calculated inside her head if she took the maximum amount of classes per session while only attending 2 sessions a year…Bloody Fuck, she could finish in 6 years, just a couple months before her 11th birthday. She'd be bloody brilliant.

She was contemplating on laughing manically but thought better to simply giggle. It would be weird seeing a 5 year old crackle like a mad scientist. BUT SERIOUSLY…she could very well be the most successful kid in the world.

She didn't even notice that she had left the school, got into a cab, got out of the cab and was now walking through the front door of #4 Privet Drive. It wasn't until Mum asked if she was well seeing how quiet she was except for the spontaneous giggles she let out.

Turning toward her mum, she smiled widely, and let out everything she was feeling. Jumping up and down, she cheered and did a little jig as her mum stared at her.

Whirling around in circles at the front entrance, she turned to her mum, "I'm just so happy, I can't wait to attend those classes, Mummy.", she squealed.

Petunia's POV

She stared at her daughter in amazement. She had never seen her daughter excited about anything else in her life.

She felt tears come out of her eyes as she sniffled and leapt down to hug Cassandra in her bosom. "Oh, my little baby girl is going to leave me. She's growing up!", she cried out.

Her daughter just patted her back, "Mum, don't worry, I'll fly in during the Holidays and I'll be home during the summer. And…", she heard but she simply wept harder. "It just won't be the same. We'll need to talk to Daddy when he gets back from work. Oh, we'll need to get ready. You'll need a new wardrobe and some money. I should get you a credit card. And before I forget, you'll need a luggage case and perhaps a new computer for your dorm so you don't need to move the one in your room. And… my little princess is going away…"

Vernon's POV

He walked through the door and was met with the sight of his wife sobbing while hugging their youngest daughter. "Pet, what's wrong dearest?", he asked immediately.

Petunia turned toward him and took comfort in his arms.

"Oh, Vernon, I'm so worried and sad but proud. You know those tests I took our princess to take last week..", she stopped waiting for him to nod. After some thinking, he remembered her mentioning their daughter had gone to the local school to take some aptitude tests of some sort. Nodding, he waited for her to continue.

"Well, she did so well a school counselor from the Cardinal Institution for Higher Learning. It's a university for really gifted people. It's the best school in all of Europe, only 12o something students attend there and out little girl was accepted, full scholarship with plane fees included so we'll only have to give her spending money for supplies like notebooks and pens as well as emergency money. But it's in Northern Italy and a Boarding school so she'll be gone most of the year! Our little baby girl! Vernon, she's only just turned five but I already said she could go because she practically begged me and you know our little princess never asks for anything so I signed the papers but now I'm so worried and sad but proud."

He took a couple minutes to understand what she was explaining before he realized just what his wife was talking about and then he comforted his wife tell she backed away some bit trying to calm down.

While her wife was trying to get under control, he looked at his little girl before smiling widely and bellowing in excited laughter. Reaching down, he lifted his daughter and spun her around before bringing her into his arms.

"My little princess is so smart! I'm proud of you baby girl.", he cooed at her.

Cassandra just giggled in laughter, "I know daddy. Isn't this great! I'll have numerous degrees before in a little under six years. 4 years if mummy would let me stay there school round but I'm coming home during the summer so it'll be 6 years. And before you know it, I'll be a working girl and everything!", he heard her exclaim.

He was slightly surprised at how much she was looking forward to this but then again, she had always been a bit of a book worm, not that he loved his little princess any less. And she never really asked them for anything unlike Dudley who would plead to go to his friend's house or have the newest video games.

If his little princess wanted to go to this school, he would let her.

~Harry's POV~

He had been in the attic going over some homework when Cassie left and must have fell asleep because he was waking up to someone shoving him awake.

"Harry, get up you bugger. I got to tell you something important. I get to go to this really cool school and it's for like really smart people and I'll be able to graduate by the time I'm 11 if I keep a full schedule. Isn't that so cool? I get to skip elementary and secondary school and jump right into University!", he heard Cassie exclaim over him.

She was starting to really shake him so with a groan he sat up in his chair and turned to the side to see Cassie staring up at him.

Realizing she had asked him a question, he nodded, "Yeah, that's cool. When are you starting? School's already started for me and Dudley."

"Well, Harry, my first day'll be Oct 7th but my plane leaves on the 4th.", she said.

Wait a second.

He thought back to what she said, "Plane?", he asked.

Cassie nodded, "Yeah, the school's a boarding school so I got to live there while I attend and it's in Northern Italy. Italia, Harry, Io sono una studentessa en Italia, HARRY! I CAN'T WAIT!", she shouted.

He felt himself falter, "But that's not cool. Your leaving me, Cassie. I don't want you to leave. Can I transfer to this school?", he asked.

He saw Cassie wince, "Err, I think it's by invitation only and the chance of two family members getting in is nearly impossible seeing as only 125 students attend the school and that's out of all of Europe."

His shoulders hunched and he started to imagine life without Cassie, "Can't…Can't you just attend the local elementary with me? I bet you could skip a grade and be in my class!".

Cassie bit her lips, "Harry, Mum already signed me up and I…I sort of…really want to go.", she whispered.

He felt betrayed all of a sudden.

"Get out."

He also felt alone.

"Buu..But, Harry…".

He turned away from her and cut her off when she started to protest or explain.

Betrayed.

"GET OUT!", he screamed, and within moments he heard her footsteps retreating and the door to the attic close.

Alone.

Cassandra's POV

It had been 11 days since her acceptance into the Cardinal Institution for Higher Learning. She had been busy over the week. She had gone shopping, buying outfits that resembled an older person's fashion. Instead of the puffy dresses or jeans and t-shirts, she had taken to buy black slack shorts which went down to her knees or black miniskirts and different color empire waist silk blouses. She had also bought black spandex shorts and tanks for Dance and jogging suits in an assortment of colors, made of either silk or velvet-like cotton. She splurged a little but liked her new outfits as, if she could enlarge them, they would be perfectly acceptable if she was an adult. She also bought a couple slacks and jewel toned sweaters made of thick cotton incase the weather ever got cold. For Jackets, she had decided to bring a black trench coat which went down to her thighs, a deep red woolen blazer, and a thin emerald cropped blazer. Then there were accessories, thin braided belts in an assortment of colored leather to wrap around her torso to give her an edgy but cute look, under garments, and cute silk pajamas, some like night gowns and others were a two piece set. She also went a bit crazy with hair accessories seeing as she was too young to wear makeup and her hair was incredibly long going down a little past her hip bone. One good thing about being 5 years old was that all her possessions were mini sized so she only really had a medium sized suitcase that had wheels.

Vernon had also given her a credit card to use with a limit of a couple thousand pounds. She wondered if that wasn't a bit too much but figured just in case, you never know. She had also received a stack of bills which he told her to keep in her bag always.

Her bag was a small child size back pack that contained her Identification the school mailed to her, her actual British Identification, passports, wallet with a couple hundred in bills, and a small photo frame with the Dursleys and Harry in it. The stack of money Vernon gave her, she stuffed on the boom of the bag where there was hidden stitched up compartment.

She was wearing a plain cotton pajama set and was safely bundled in her bed when she heard the creak of the door. She was wondering who it was, knowing she had said goodnight to her parents and brother…the only one she hadn't said goodnight to was…Harry but he wouldn't come visit her would he, not when he hadn't been talking to her. And she had been angry at him after a while so even if he's coming to apologize, she would send him back!

She was rightfully pissed at him. After all, how could he get angry at her for this when this was her education that was on the line.

Then again, she pondered over how much she had been Harry Potter Fanatical when she was Lauren. She had agreed that she had changed. No longer was she an overweight sad-miserable excuse for a human being. She was Cassandra and she was an active, happy, and ambitious child. Oh hell, she admitted it. She would be a Slytherin if she was ever sorted.

And the reason she wasn't ready to forgive him for his outburst was mainly divided into three main parts or reason.

One, let's face it, she wasn't an adult anymore and no matter how much she tried to act like an adult, she was a bloody child and had the emotions of a child. So yeah, a petty excuse, but as a child she was allowed to throw a temper or hold a grudge.

Two, a part of her reasoned that Harry was getting to emotionally attached to her, he needed to be strong and independent because she was sure as hell not going to be at Hogwarts with him. She would be living a muggle life until the war was over. Maybe it was manipulative of her to leave like this and making sure that their little spat would force him to grow, slowly assuring herself it was for the greater good. And as much as she hated Dumblebore and his damn logics, the point wasn't, she couldn't very well let him stick to her when he needed to stick to Hogwarts, the wizarding world, and more importantly Ron and Hermione. The more she thought about it, she realized that a large part of the reason that Harry could go through the things he did in his school years was because he needed the wizarding world…because he was a neglected and abused child who would be willing to sacrifice himself for that world which ultimately led to winning the war. But the problem was she had changed it. It occurred to her that now that he wasn't abused, he might not do the same things or be the same Harry and that meant separating herself from Harry and ultimately leaving him in the demise of the Dursleys. Her self-insertation into Harry's life was just about the worst thing that could happen to him and the whole world.

And finally, Three…the fact she was holding a grudge and ignoring the boy she had fantasized and fanatically followed for her past life to the point she had ruined her actual life as Lauren Saunders signified she was caring for him. That she actually felt for him, whether as family or friend, and this was the crux of the problem because she wasn't seeing him as character. Somewhere along the lines of living her character's life and becoming Cassandra Dursley, she had stopped seeing Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, Savior of the Wizarding World, etc….and she saw…she saw just Harry, a boy…her friend and family. And that was the problem because he wasn't just a character that she could feel excited at the tribulations he would go through or at his suffering… because somewhere along the line, this life, Harry, had all just became too real. And she knew if she didn't stop whatever caring shit she had for him, that she would literally risk her life to make him happy and actually try to change events which meant nothing was certain and Voldemort could end up winning if she changed too much for him.

"Cassie?", she heard him whisper.

Damn!

She wasn't ready for this.

She didn't know what to do.

And she didn't know if she had the strength.

So she pretended to be asleep, she made sure her body was relaxed and her face was set in a peaceful expression. She figured if he thought she was asleep he would very well go away so she was surprised when she felt him slide into her bed. She could feel the heat of a hovering hand against her face, she was surprised to feel his hand glide against her cheek and cascade through her hair.

"Cassie. I don't want you to leave but I…I guess if it's what you want, I'll let you go but it's only for a little bit, till you come back and…and…today, in class we were read a story about a prince and a princess…I think if I were a prince…I'd want you to be my princess…love you Cassie.", she heard him whisper.

She could feel her heart beating wildly and just about beat out of her chest when she felt him kiss her lips, just a peck, as if he didn't want to risk getting caught, because he left as soon as he kissed her. And when the door shut, her eyes snapped open, her hands reaching up to touch her lips.

She fell into a restless sleep but still woke up early in the morning, excited at the prospect of going to Italy for school.

She quickly showered and dressed, making sure to wear small black ballerina flats with a black miniskirt and a crème silk tank top. She hurried down the stairs to see her mum cooking breakfast and Harry setting the table. She flushed when he looked at her, remembering the kiss he had given her she ducked her head. Before rushing up to her mum and giving her a hug.

"Morning Mum.", she said before gathering as much courage she could muster and walking up to Harry to hug him as well. "Morning Harry."

Harry beamed at her and greeted her likewise.

The morning seemed to rush by afterwards and within moments everyone was gathered at the terminal in the airport. She had already said her goodbye to the others, her daddy having given her a cell phone and telling her to stay in contact before thumping her on the back saying, "that's my little girl, make me proud." Mum seemed to hug her forever and listing off a myriad of things, mostly to stay away from men and don't talk to strangers. Dudley just smiled at her and told her to call if he needed to come down there if anyone dare threaten his little sister. And now, she had turned to Harry. After the morning they still had yet to reconcile fully and she was still confused about what to exactly do so she simply tried her best to ignore him.

Harry was looking at with pitiful emerald eyes, pleading not to go. She gulped and hugged him, feeling his arms wrap around her tight enough that she felt as if her lungs were failing. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon enough Harry. Besides, you're my best mate and family, Ain't nothing going to keep us apart. Love you, Harry. Take care."

She could feel Harry just hug her tighter, "Promise me. Promise me, you'll always come back. Promise me we'll always be together."

She forced a smile, "I promise."

Harry seemed to relax a little bit as the pressure of his embrace lessoned, "I love you too, Cassie. Have fun."

~5 Years and 8 months Later~

Cassandra waited at the terminal for what seemed like forever. She had grown up over the years. She was still small and rather thin but she seemed to be hitting Puberty rather early. She was soon to be eleven in a few months but her chest was already an A cup. Not that it was a big accomplishment, but she hoped that unlike how flat chested she was as Lauren Sanders, she would be at least a B cup this time around.

She was 4 feet and 7 inches, easily the shortest among other children her age but she was also the prettiest. She had long cascading platinum blond curls which went down to her hips, her eyes were ever large and luminescent turquoise framed with endless lashes. She still wore the same clothes. She knew she was a witch because unconsciously she would do small bouts of magic. She could bring books to her with a wave of her hand and her clothes, she could simply enlarge so she was still wearing the same wardrobe she had bought all those years ago.

In fact, she was wearing small red ballet flats, a black mini skirt, and a red camisole silk top. She had already had all her luggage and belongings delivered and only carried a small black backpack which contained her wallet, a water bottle, lip gloss, cell phone, and mints.

Over the years, she had slowly distanced herself from Harry, not obviously but she would purposely go on about her achievements and how she wanted to pursue an internship after her schooling, this year to gain further credits toward experience work. She would talk about possible breakthroughs involving quantum physics and self containing electrical current sources derived from possible methods used in the same conduction of self propelled magnetic fields. And she knew, Harry for all he tried to follow her couldn't and then last year, he had received his letter from Hogwarts and started attending. She knew this year, he would be distant, not knowing how to compare to her when she was a muggle and he was a wizard. All she would have to do is make sure that she got her letter from Hogwarts, if she received one, and quickly reject admittance into the school without her family none the wiser.

Now for her family, where in the hell were they?

Looking around, she quickly spotted them due to Dudley who she was sure she would literally be able to spot him from a mile away. He was 13 years old and already a tall sandy haired Adonis standing at an incredible height of 5'8'' for his age. By the time he was an adult, she knew he would easily be 6 feet something. Her mum and dad were there waving, she quickly sprinted toward them before hugging her daddy first. He still lifted her up and spun her around just like when she little.

Blushing as she was let down, she hugged her mum and brother, Dudley. She knew Harry wouldn't be here as he didn't get out of school till June.

When she went home, she was surprised to see that they had set up a welcome home gift. She smiled in wonder at the small party they had set up. Over the years, even if she wasn't home, they still made sure to spoil her. In fact, Dad would constantly be putting money into her bank account as well as increasing the limit on her credit card not that she spent much, and they would send her gifts.

Her room when she got home was full of books. The second computer, she had given to Dudley after she had transferred all her files to an external hard drive hooked up to her first computer. She put all her clothes in her closet, but knew from experience, Mum would have bought some more clothes and added them in there.

The small party though was different, because her parents knew what she wanted, her favorite healthy foods and the small banner saying welcome home literally warmed her heart. She knew that they loved her unconditionally and her eyes teared up.

Turning to her Mum only because she was closest, she hugged her around the waist. "Thanks Mummy, Daddy. Dudley. This is the best."

Her mum smiled down at her. "Well you deserve it, baby girl. Come on, let's eat and then I want to take you on a shopping spree. You can tell me all about your plans for the next couple of years. Are you still interested in that internship you were telling me about, the one at that Museum or were you going to stick to dance?"

~With Harry~

Harry's first year at Hogwarts was exciting but even so he wished that Cassie was with him.

He hadn't been surprised to see his heart's desire inside the mirror of erised. He would come back into the room to see his parents but also Cassie. Cassie was with him, smiling, hugging, and kissing him while his parents watched in approval.

All year, he was trying his best in magic, maybe he could impress her, or…there was a small voice in the back of his head which convinced him, maybe there was a magical solution to keeping Cassie with him always. It was selfish but now standing in front of Quirrel, he pondered his offer.

He could be great and the Dark Lord would give it to him. The Dark Lord said it would be easy to make Cassie fall in love with him, and his parents, the stone would bring him back but…Cassie was a muggle…something the Dark Lord killed for fun.

Cassie would hate and be disappointed by him. He could remember all those years ago Vernon had hit him and Cassie had been horrified to the point Vernon and the rest treated him respectfully into they point they accepted what he was, a wizard but also family.

Smacking his lips, he refused the Dark Lord but his hesitance made it that he didn't even notice when he was stunned. He watched in growing horror as he was hit with multiple cutting curses and when he was about to be hit with a sickly green light, he heard someone shout out "Acccio Harry."

Everything else went dark for him and the only thing he could think was Cassie wouldn't hate or be disappointed. He made the right decision. She would be proud of him.

~Voldemort's POV~

He barely made it out alive but he had the stone, laughing manically, he made his way to one of his top followers. Lucius had been ever so hospitable to hold him. He had then ordered him to retrieve Harry's family. He had a special treat for them.

Smirking, he held his old journal which would gain him a body and the elixir of life he had concocted. He wouldn't need his hocruxes ever again…not when he had the stone.

Dumbledore was a fool to house the stone, and a much bigger fool to allow that boy to come after him. Oh he knew, that Dumbledore had really left that day only to test the young boy and he was lucky to miraculously come back just as he sent the killing curse toward the boy. No matter, he would hurt the boy by killing his family…and that sweet girl…Cassie that had been on the mind of young Harry nearly 24/7 would be getting a nice surprise.

She was awfully beautiful for such a small girl and would grow up to be even more beautiful and while she was a filthy muggle perhaps he would keep her for a bit of fun.

Lucius had quickly reported in that he had the muggles. Smiling in satisfaction, he ordered him to bring the father.

When the muggle man came in, he quickly cast an imperious curse to force him to write in the book while the book started the process of draining his mind. When the body of a young 17 year old emerged, he quickly left Quirrel's body and took control. His hocrux let him in and now walking in his body, he took the elixir to sustain him, merging his spirit and his hocrux into one.

He ordered Lucius to take the body of the father back to where the others were imprisoned and dispose of Quirrel's body.

Within moments, he was staring in the great foyer of Malfoy Manor calling upon his followers.

Author's note: Please review.


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